Stakeouts and Strollers by Rob Phillips

About the Book:

Charlie Shaw is low on sleep. And cash. Otherwise, life is going pretty well for the ex-crime reporter: he’s happily married to his college sweetheart, he’s a first-time dad to the most adorable baby girl in existence, and he’s making ends meet as a rookie PI. But when Charlie meets Friday Finley, a frightened sixteen-year-old runaway on a stakeout-gone-wrong, his world gets a little more complicated.

Friday is looking for her estranged father Shawn, an unreliable alcoholic who left when she was young—and who also happens to be her only shot at avoiding the foster care system since her mother’s death a few weeks earlier. At first, Charlie believes the man is simply hiding out somewhere, avoiding his responsibilities as usual, but the more he investigates, the more unsettling—and dangerous—Shawn’s disappearance becomes. When his own family is threatened, Charlie realizes he’s in over his head, but can he back out now that he’s begun to care for Friday as his own?

A perfect page-turning blend of humor and high stakes, Stakeouts and Strollers is a heartwarming story of fatherhood, family, and what it really means to be a “Girl Dad.”

My Review:

This is a fun mystery. It took me a while to like the hero as he seemed like a rather reckless and bumbling private investigator. He grew on me and by the end Charlie became a favorite new hero. He is a man with a heart, especially for his newborn daughter. He also has a dry sense of humor that grew on me too. The relationship he had with his baby was precious. The relationship he had with his forbearing wife was amazing. There is a little repetition, such as when Charlie recounts events to the police, but generally the plot moves along well.

This is definitely a good debut effort. It is sort of a light hearted mystery even though there is danger, suspense and some murders. And Charlie matures into his hero status so that by the end I was ready to be on the lookout for the next adventure he will have.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Rob Phillips grew up in the Dallas area, where he became an Emmy-winning sportswriter covering the Dallas Cowboys for print, radio and television. Rob and his wife are proud parents to a spunky senior King Charles spaniel and a lively young daughter, who’s still waiting for her first stakeout. His debut novel, Stakeouts and Strollers, won the Minotaur Books/Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel Award. Photo Credit: Andrew Hancock

Minotaur Books, 336 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)